Ghosts in the Photograph
by jurawks
Summary: [For Brilcrist's Kaijubuster AU Contest] Natasha Romanoff was SHIELD's first jaeger pilot, but the stress of the neural lode was too great for a single pilot. She chooses Clint Barton as her co-pilot. Their first drift sequence may be their biggest enemy yet. Rated for language.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE:** For Brilcrist's Kaijubuster AU Contest. _Avengers_ characters in a _Pacific Rim_ universe. Title from Mogwai's "Take Me Somewhere Nice".

**FEAT:** Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Nick Fury, Bruce Banners

xxx

**Chapter ONE**

Natasha Romanoff curled up in a chair by the workstation, her feet propped up, hands cradling a warm cup of coffee. She stared emptily at the workstation, not seeing data, tables, words in blue, green and red.

"You did not fail, Natasha," she heard the scientist say as he shuffled about the lab. "It's a prototype. It needs testers and unfortunately, the testers -like you- suffer the consequences of inaccurate programming."

She let out a sigh. She knew all these of course. Knew that it was SHIELD's first jaeger, knew that she was its first pilot, knew that there was nothing _technically_ that she could've done. But it still gnawed at her that she couldn't even withstand ten seconds in the pilot rig. She had a long-running success streak, sometimes solo, sometimes with partners; but she never failed a mission, did not allow herself to. This was the break in her streak.

The _psshhh_ of the door opening made Natasha turn.

"Agent Romanoff. Dr Banners," Director Fury greeted.

"Are you here about the test results?" Natasha asked cautiously.

"Yes I am," he replied, looking her straight in the eye, noticing the way her jaw clenched. "But first know this, you did not fail the mission, agent. The jaeger is a prototype. A test subject. It is not perfect. And we're trying to fix that."

"Cut the crap," Natasha said.

Fury continued unfazed, "The analysis concludes that a single pilot is not capable of controlling the jaeger-"

"I can control it!" Natasha snapped, jumping to her feet.

"Let me finish!" Fury countered. "The neural lode to the jaeger's interface is too great for a single pilot. We're implementing a two-pilot trial system; see if that balances out the stress."

"I can do this, Fury," Natasha repeated, steel in her voice.

"Can you?" Fury grilled. "You, of all the agents, Romanoff. You could barely stay connected for ten seconds before we pulled you out. No. We're not risking it. Get some rest, agent, and I suggest you start thinking of a co-pilot before the next trial run."

Fury walked out, the door _psshhh_-ing behind him.

"Natasha..." Dr. Banners said.

"Can you believe him?" Natasha snapped. "_The neural lode to the jaeger's interface is too great_. Bullshit!"

"Natasha-"

"I don't buy it, Bruce. I don't," she said, fist clenching and unclenching, the coffee in her hand trembling.

"Natasha, listen," Dr. Banners said calmly. "You're a brilliant agent and more than capable in handling difficult situations. But we're talking monsters, kaijus. These guys...their biological makeup alone is enough to-" He caught himself before his mouth wandered off. "I'm sorry. I mean to say, they're not humans. But you are. And you're not going to be able to kill them all by yourself. Just...think about it."

Natasha didn't look at him. She counted to ten silently, thanked him for the coffee, and walked out of the lab.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter TWO**

"Barton," Natasha called, rapping on Clint's door.

"Yeah!" The door unlocked and he looked out, hair tousled, unshaven.

"You up for a workout?" she said.

His brow creased, "You okay? You don't specially request sparring sessions unless- Ah. Who pissed you off that you have to take it out on me?"

"Fury."

"Right," Clint said with half a smile, "let's go."

xxx

Natasha always saw a new perspective when she sparred with Clint. Something about the way they navigated around each other in the ring, something about the way she could read him and how he read her, something about how their combat made the world make sense, something about...something. She never really knew, never could pinpoint it. They had different modes of sparring: Walk In The Park, Workout, and Kill Each Other. Today, they were working out.

The timer buzzed and Natasha's eyes focused. She had Clint in a headlock, but he'd wrapped an arm around her thigh, about to twist her off him. She released her hold on him and he reciprocated the generous gesture.

"You weren't passing out, were you?" Natasha teased.

"You serious?" he replied, "I would've thrown you off if the buzzer didn't go off."

They left the ring, picked up their towels, bottles of purple energy drinks and took a slow walk out of the gym.

"So," Clint started, "any new perspectives?"

"Fury said," Natasha started, "that they were going to implement a two-pilot system, to balance off the stress of the jaeger's neural lode. I think I have my answer."

"Huh?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter THREE**

"Fury," Natasha called, walking onto the command deck.

The Director of SHIELD turned, his poker face contorting to a frown.

"I've been thinking about what you said," Natasha continued, "and I've found my co-pilot."

Fury barely batted an eyelid. "Who?"

"Barton."

"What? Me?" Clint blurted, confusion across his face.

"Good," Fury replied. "I figured you'd come to that conclusion."

Natasha held up a finger, "I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"We get to name the jaeger," she finished.

xxx

"Holy fuck!" Clint exclaimed, looking up at the giant robot in the hangar. He'd seen the jaeger from the top, but never from the base of its foot. Now, it looked ten times its reported height.

"This," Fury began, "is the new and improved jaeger prototype. We've built in a bilateral pilot rig and re-engineered the neural lode to the interface. Our simulations calculate a hundred percent success rate of a dual pilot system. But there's a catch."

"What is it?" Natasha said.

"It's called the drift sequence," Fury explained, picking his words carefully. "To command the jaeger, both pilots need to synchronise through memories. The stronger your sync, the better you fight. Are you ready for it? Looking into each other's minds?"

Natasha waved a hand carelessly, "The Red Room, KGB, Abidjan... Clint knows all that."

"Parents dying, travelling circuses, accidental criminal... No biggie," Clint shrugged.

Fury sighed. For all that Romanoff and Barton were professionals, sometimes they sounded like children. He warned them anyway, "It's not going to be pretty. Whatever memory you see, don't hold on to it. We call them _white rabbits_. Don't follow the white rabbit. Let them slip you by."

"Fury," Natasha said tiredly, "don't worry. We got this."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter FOUR**

"TERMINATE DRIFT SEQUENCE! SHUT DOWN THAT JAEGER!"

Clint fell to his knees, retching his guts out. He could hear Natasha wheezing beside him. He coughed out bile and blood, the stink making him nauseous all over again. He heard the huge metal doors crank open, was vaguely aware of someone pushing a cloth to his mouth and directing his head to the general direction of a bucket. He let out another gush of bile and saliva, flaked with blood. Then he felt arms lifting him up amidst the noise, dragging him somewhere, somewhere, he didn't know where-nothing looked familiar. There was a brief moment of darkness, and then something like fire shot through his system and his eyes flew open, blinking rapidly.

"Nat!" he gasped, sitting up.

Firm arms pushed him down. He struggled. "Nat!"

_"Strap him down! Strap him down!"_

"Tasha!" he shouted.

_"Put him out!" _

Darkness.

xxx

He woke to the sounds of machines. His trained senses took everything in instantly and he deduced that he was in the infirmary, strapped to the bed. He struggled against the straps agitatedly. What was he, an animal that SHIELD had to put down?

"Agent Barton," a voice said.

"Fury," Clint replied.

The Director approached the bed and undid the straps. Clint pushed himself up and rubbed his wrists. He'd never taken kindly to confinement.

"How are you feeling?" Fury asked.

"Like my insides have been brutally ripped out," Clint answered bitterly.

"I'm sorry. We didn't think the drift sequence would produce such results." Fury straightened up, "Agent Romanoff is in the infirmary opposite yours."

Clint swung his legs off the bed, nudged past Fury and limped to Natasha's infirmary. Looking through the glass pane in the door, he saw her lying strapped to the bed, head turned to the side so that he only saw her shock of red hair. The door _psshhh_-ed open and he limped in.

"Nat?" he called softly, settling into a chair by the bed.

She didn't respond.

He brushed the hair from her face and laid a hand over her forehead, felt the warmth against his palm, comforted himself that at least she wasn't down with a fever, and got comfortable in the chair. He didn't need to wait long. She stirred.

"Tasha," he called.

She moaned and opened her eyes, meeting his, "Clint?"

His smile was caught between a grin and a grimace.

"Don't give me that face," Natasha chided softly. "Can you...undo the...ngghh"

Clint undid the straps and helped her into a seating position, "Rough day, huh?"

"Tell me about it," she grumbled. "The next time Fury asks us to test run a prototype, I'm refusing his offer."

"Tasha..." Clint started, hesitating, "You didn't tell me the Red-"

"The Red Room and KGB guys were sons of bitches?" Natasha interrupted. She looked at him, looked hard and long into his blue eyes. "They were. But... No one needs to know."

"I needed to know."

"And what would you do if you knew, Clint?" she asked.

"I..." He faltered, turned away from her gaze, stared at his shoes.

She touched his arm, gently. "I didn't know," she said softly, "I didn't know they beat you up and left you for dead."

Clint shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I'm here now."

"And I'm here now," she replied, slipping her hand into his.

xxx

THE END


End file.
